The Action Training Systems Emergency Responder Blog
Preparing for Post-Traumatic Stress
Monday, 26 June 2017 00:00 |Guest Blog wirtten for ATS by Robert Avsec
Allow me to begin by saying that this article is not focused on treating any individual who is having negative responses to post traumatic stress (PTS), especially those who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Those folks need the treatment and guidance of mental health professionals and others far more knowledgeable on the subject.
Many people have many opinions about why fire and EMS personnel are being exposed to more on-the-job stress (career or volunteer, you’re still on the job when providing service), but there seems to be...
An Intro to Firefighters and Their Mental Health Challenges
Wednesday, 14 June 2017 00:00 |Guest blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
In our previous article, The Effects of Stress on Our Brain and Body, we discussed how the brain processes and responds to stress and the resultant effects on our mind, behaviors, emotions, and our body. In this article, we'll discuss some of the stressors that exist for firefighters and how identifying the sources of our stress are an important step in learning to cope with on-the-job stress in a more healthy way.
The Effects of Stress on Our Brain and Body
Monday, 12 June 2017 00:00 |Guest blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
Much is being written about and talked about regarding post-traumatic stress and its effect on firefighters. The job has always been physically and emotionally taxing, but an increasing awareness of the adverse effects of post-traumatic stress is "shining a light" on the difficulties that many firefighters have coping with those stresses. From behavioral changes to alcohol and substance abuse to suicide, too many firefighters are unable to cope with those pressures.
How our brain handles stress
Figure 1. Source: Your Brain on Stress and Anxiety. https://vimeo.com/78895649
The amygdala or "rep...
Improving EMS Safety on Scene
Wednesday, 24 May 2017 00:00 |
Guest blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
In August 1979, I was a new EMT working my first job in EMS as an employee of the private sector ambulance service that had the contract to provide EMS to the city of Richmond, Virginia. On one of my first tours of duty, my partner and I responded to a reported shooting in the Fairfield Court projects in the east end of the city.
Like many urban areas in the late 1970s, Richmond was seeing the fallacy in project housing for low income families; the people were still poor, the buildings were deteriorating by the day, and the sale of street drugs was quickly becoming the #1 job in the neighborhood.
Back...
Improving Response Times for Volunteer Fire Departments
Tuesday, 16 May 2017 00:00 |
Guest Blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
What's one of the most critical operational issues that many volunteer fire departments struggle with? Knowing who's available for emergency responses and knowing who's actually responding when a call for service comes in.
Volunteer fire departments have historically relied on sign-up sheets or boards located in the fire station; ad hoc scheduling at its best (or worst). And not always accurate as plans change for individual members, changes that too frequently don't get made on the schedule.
In this article, I'm going to explore some options that volunteer fire departments can use to better ensur...
6 Ways To Make Your Training Matter
Monday, 24 April 2017 00:00 |
Guest blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
Training and preparation should be a significant part of every firefighter's career, whether it is their chosen profession or they volunteer their time to their community. First, it's the only way they'll have the required knowledge, skills and abilities to be a safe, effective and efficient firefighter.
Secondly, training done with one's peers is a powerful means for developing teamwork and camaraderie, both important qualities for firefighting (After all, it is a "team sport"!).
So, whether you're a company officer in a career or combination department, or you're a traini...
Creating a safer environment for your crews and your community
Monday, 10 April 2017 00:00 |
Guest blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
Where to start? Tackling such a broad topic in your fire department might seem like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hose, no? Well, how about we take that water flow down to water fountain-size and get a good drink!
Let's start with us
Firefighters and fire officers can be their own "worst enemy" when it comes to safety. In his outstanding book,
How To Keep the Good Volunteer Firefighters You Have
Thursday, 16 March 2017 00:00 |Guest Blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
Create an environment that doesn't just support their individual motivation, but makes their motivational fire "grow"! How do you do that? By creating an atmosphere that supports "combustion."
Firefighters learn early in their training on the necessity for fuel, heat, and oxygen to combine in the proper measures for the chemical reaction that we know as combustion or fire to occur. That process has been represented by the fire triangle:
I believe the same principle—combining elements to create a chemical reaction—can be applied by volunteer fire service leaders in creating...
A New Paradigm for Volunteer Fire Department Recruitment
Monday, 27 February 2017 00:00 |Guest blog written by Robert Avsec for Action Training Systems
The fire service continues to evolve, and so do the communities that volunteer fire departments serve. Many of these changes have had a direct impact on volunteer fire departments and their ability to recruit and retain members. Just a few examples are:
• Population growth in rural and suburban communities—the types frequently served by volunteer fire departments--add to number of calls for service.
• Changes in the economy, and the way America works, requires more volunteer firefighters to work outside of the community they serve; many volunteer firefighters must work more than o...
4 Steps to Becoming a Better Fire/EMS Instructor Using On-line Learning
Monday, 06 February 2017 00:00 |
Guest Blog written for ATS by Robert Avsec
Kind of a misleading title, don't you think? Because as we continue to venture forth into using on-line platforms to deliver fire and EMS training, don't you need to be more than an instructor?
Certainly, in the traditional sense of the word, instructor. And most certainly in the context of instructor-led training. Previously, instructor-led training meant having an instructor physically present before students in a classroom. We now have an expectation that those sam...
